Even in the age of smartphones, Samsung and other mobile phone companies continue to cater to those customers who prefer to stick to their cell phones. Samsung’s slide phone, the Intensity, features a full QWERTY keyboard tucked beneath the screen and number pad. The phone is Web-enabled and the phone has mobile email (on a 3G network), which means you can build up quite a contact list. To ensure that you don’t lose all your valuable business contacts, back up your device to a PC.

1. Open a new browser window and download BitPim (link in Resources). The Samsung Intensity doesn’t come with backup software, and Verizon’s Backup Utility, which may be included on your phone, only creates online backups. BitPim is free third-party software that can access all of the data on your phone and create a back-up file. Click “Download” and choose the version of the software that matches your operating system.

2. Double-click on the downloaded file when complete to install BitPim. Follow the on-screen prompts to set a folder for the program and to create a desktop shortcut. Click “Finish” to complete the installation. Launch BitPim from either the Start Menu (Windows 7) or desktop (Windows 8).

3. Connect your Samsung Intensity to your PC using the USB cable provided with the phone. If you don't have one, a USB Mini cable will also work. Close any AutoPlay windows that appear when Windows detects the phone.

4. Click “Edit” and “Detect phone” in BitPim and then click “Get Phone Data.” You’ll see all of the data on your Intensity, including the phone book (contacts), photos, music, and your calendar. Select the phone book to see all of your contacts.

5. Click “File – Export – vCards” and then choose a location to save the file where you’ll remember, in your documents folder or a folder you use regularly. Name the file -- “IntensityContacts" or something similar -- and click “Ok.” You can use a vCard file in a desktop email program like Outlook or Windows Mail or can import vCard contacts into Gmail or Web-based email. In Outlook, click “File – Import – Import a vCard” and then choose the file you exported from BitPim to load all of your cell phone contacts.

Tip

You can also use BitPim to load contacts onto your phone in the event that your phone crashes and needs to be restored. Click “Data – Send to Phone” after loading the vCard files in BitPim to restore contacts.

About the Author

Living in Canada, Andrew Aarons has been writing professionally since 2003. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in English literature from the University of Ottawa, where he served as a writer and editor for the university newspaper. Aarons is also a certified computer-support technician.